LIMA — Community members and a panel of medical professionals this week participated in a Let’s Talk Lima event, a two-day discussion meant to address health problems in minorities living in Allen County.
Statistics from the Ohio Department of Health show that the leading causes of death in Allen County are higher for blacks than for whites in nearly every category, based on a population size of 100,000 people. Heart disease, the leading cause of death in the county, kills 281 blacks compared to 223 whites. Similarly, cancer kills 249 blacks compared to 178 whites.
In Ohio, STD rates among blacks are vastly higher than whites. In 2014, nearly 1,300 blacks were affected by chlamydia compared to about 200 whites. Gonorrhea rates for blacks are also higher — approximately 500 blacks compared to about 50 whites.
At Thursday morning’s Let’s Talk event, the four-person panel discussed why minorities seem to have more health problems and what can be done to address this problem.
Though many more African Americans have acquired health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, Lima Memorial Infection Control Chairman Dr. Wilfred Ellis said many health care providers will not accept this type of insurance.
“A lot of providers won’t take Obamacare because they’re not getting reimbursed appropriately,” Ellis said. “How we’re going to fix the problem remains to be seen.”
According to Lima Fire Inspector Chris Jackson, many African Americans do not seek treatment because they don’t trust white doctors to provide them with proper care.
“These people are deathly ill by the time they call us because they didn’t trust the hospital or didn’t have enough money in their insurance to seek treatment,” Jackson said. “Our challenge as a community is we have to find a way to get these people the treatment they need.”
The panel of professionals said increasing the amount of people who come in for health screens will help curb this problem. Screenings can determine a variety of health issues, including substance abuse and depression.
Another factor contributing to minority health problems is food deserts, a term used to describe areas where healthy food options do not exist, coupled with residents who lack transportation. According to Cheri Mitchell, project director at Activate Allen County, there are several food deserts within Allen County.
As a result, Mitchell said many families shop at gas stations and corner stores, many of which do not sell fresh fruit and vegetables.
“That’s why we need to create opportunities for access to affordable produce options for people in these areas so that they have the opportunity to bring them home,” Mitchell said. “Some kids have never even seen real food that’s grown.”
She also recommended community gardens where people can grow their own food, which can save money and improve health.
Even if accessibility to fresh produce was increased in these areas, many parents don’t know how to cook them in a healthy way. Mitchell suggested offering free cooking classes for parents and children to teach them how to make healthy meals.
To address STD rates among African Americans, one community member suggested going to popular gathering spaces such as barber shops, beauty parlors and nail salons, and handing out condoms and pamphlets with safe sex and STD information.
Rewa Banks, registered nurse at Health Partners of Western Ohio, said talking to children about STDs and unintended pregnancy, and ultimately doing something about it, can go a long way.
“I wouldn’t take the airbags out of my son’s car and say, ‘don’t you dare get in an accident,’” Banks said. “But we don’t put a child on birth control because we don’t want to give them permission to have sex. Permission and prevention are two different things.”
In the end, the panel agreed improving health among minorities needs to be a cultural shift. Like most cultural changes, it starts at home.
“If your mom and pop always went to the see the doctor and had wellness checks, or if they go to the YMCA to work out and bring you with them, you’re going to have a culture where these things are normalized,” Banks said. “That’s where we have to start as a community.”
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